Brazil has unveiled the world’s largest environmentalized mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria, an innovative way to protect about 140 million people from Dangie’s fever in the coming years.
The Wolbito Do Brasil factory, located in Curitiba, started operations on July 19.
This joint venture between the World Mosquito program, the Soldo Cruise Foundation and the Parana Molecular Biology Institute has a weekly production capacity of 100 million mosquito eggs.
The company’s executive CEO Luciano Morira said “Wolbito Do Brasil will be able to protect about 7 million people in Brazil every six months.”
Dongo, often dubbed “bone fever” because of its disabling pain, is transmitted by Aedes AE Egypti mosquitoes and is infected with hundreds of millions of millions of worlds every year.
According to World Health Organization data, the disease was deadly for 6,297 people in Brazil last year and recorded the worst year.
Wolbachia bacteria work by preventing mosquitoes from transmitting mosquitoes as well as other serious diseases such as Zika and Chikungunya.
Therefore, public health authorities release mosquitoes raised to Wolbachia for breeding with local mosquito populations and transfer bacteria that prevent the virus from transmitting the virus.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the method has protected more than 5 million in eight Brazilian cities.
“Wolbachia lives only in insect cells. So, if an insect disappears, it dies,” said Antonio Brandoo, Brazil’s production director.
“Wolbachia exist in more than 60 % of insects in nature, and for centuries we have never interact with humans.”
As the Wolbito Brasil ramps, cars that are loaded with infected mosquitoes pass through the Dango points and release the insects by pushing a button.
“The area selected in the municipality is based on Dengie, so neighborhoods with the highest incidence of people with Dengo are priority neighborhoods,” said Brasil Regional Operations Coordinator.
